Zagat Survey Discussions

We dined with a party of ten in Sept. 2006 and 2007. At our 2007 seating they forgot the promised birthday cake and 5 of the 9 dishes were the same as the previous year. When we emailed and asked them to vary the menu for our 2008 seating, Thomas Keller called us personally and said, "If you don't like what I serve, don't come. I'll even help you find another restaurant to eat at." We canceled and will now dine at Gary Danko's in S.F., a much better restaurant. French Laundry is SO not worth what they charge you. For $6,000.00 for dinner for 10 people Keller should kiss the foot of his customers and remember his roots and where he belongs, sweating over a hot stove to earn his keep. There is no longer room in his restaurant for customers along with his ego.

I totally agree. We went there last May with 8 people. The staff was rude and pretentious. We ordered the wine recommended with the food we ordered - not a bottle under $200. The food was good, but not THAT good. Turns out there was a celebrity in the restaurant and us common folk weren't worth the time, even though the bill was over $5000.

Gary Danko's is a significantly better restaurant than French Laundry...better food, better service, And...you don't have to put up with Thomas Keller's insufferable ego!

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There's no subsitute for great food and wine, and the time and opportunity to enjoy both

I have to admit that I love The French Laundry and Per Se, however I enjoy Gary Danko even more. Plus, he is quite an engaging person and makes dining a pleasure.

The days of the No Cal Snooty Attitude Place are gone. The Classics keep going on good value, good service, no attitude to anyone. This
Hyper Chef Whoo Haa is SO over. Look around Chefs see who is
doing it right. They are busy, making money. On VOLUME not per
plate. No Cal has lots to choose from thank the almighty. Zagat cuts
through the Bull Pucky real fast. Vote with your $$$.

MWS8324 wrote:
Look around Chefs see who is doing it right. They are busy, making money. On VOLUME not per plate.


The restaurants whom you say are "doing it right," run thin on margin, and need the volume just to stay in business. The good top end restaurants I visit in different cities of the U.S., are still very busy and reservations are still in demand - even during the weekday. I was in the Napa Valley a couple of weeks ago and could not get a seating at The French Laundry.

The restaurants I do notice having difficulty are the ones that do not have a realistic quality to value pricing structure.
 

I totally agree that French Laundry is so not worth it. The food was ok, nothing that makes me wanted more. I don't understand what all the hyped is about. Services is mediocre, a bit snobby in my view. Overall, not impressed at all.

You are so right. In 1997, The French Laundry treated us rudely, added extra charges to our bill, and when we had them removed after speaking with the manager, they re-charged the card AFTER we left the restaurant with the extra charges. We had American Express remove the charges and have never gone back in the 12 years since it happened (even though I live 10 minutes away). I have never been treated so poorly at any restaurant in the world. My best experience: Gary Danko - the opposite of French Laundry in service, its peer in food, unmatched in attitude.

It seems that chef Kellar has forgotten what got him where he is... his customers.
I agree completely with you about Restaurant Gary Danko. They remain accomodating, creative and most importantly, focused on the dining experience of their clientele.
Quite simply the best restaurant in Northern California.

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It's better to live rich than to die rich!

I am sorry, but I have to disagree with all of you. Gary Danko is a great restaurant and Gary is a great chef, but what is the point of comparing restaurants this way....they are two such different experiences.

I have a feeling some bad behavior was involved here. Thomas Keller is a very bright, introspective man, and he would never act rudely towards a customer unless really provoked. The time I ate at French Laundry and the times I have recommended it to others, we all agree its not somewhere to eat every day, or even every year, but it is a gastronomical experience beyond any restaurant I have tried, as well as superb service, even for the "little guy" like me. But then again, I treat restaurant workers respectfully.

If I understand this right, when I go to a restaurant I am a GUEST and do not deserve rude treatment unless I have been rude. Over the last decade Keller has gone down hill and is the most overpriced restaurant I know of on the west coast. Never been treated this bad in Paris. Fortunately there are so many great places to dine in this country I will never miss the French Laudry

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BLADDERDOC

Keller is living on his reputation. he keeps getting the highest ratings and stars from michelin. the cost is ridiculous.  i go to delfina for great meal 7 also like gary danko for special occassions. 

i'm glad to see some of the comments here re: FL. i've been there 10 times since 1999, i kept going back despite feeling that it's been going downhill since the renovation. the more recent (and definitely last) time just about tipped me over the cliff. no restaurants, not even dennys, justify that kind of unprofessionalism and rudeness. i'll never ever go back again.

JeffreyC206444 wrote:
We dined with a party of ten in Sept. 2006 and 2007. At our 2007 seating they forgot the promised birthday cake and 5 of the 9 dishes were the same as the previous year. When we emailed and asked them to vary the menu for our 2008 seating, Thomas Keller called us personally and said, "If you don't like what I serve, don't come. I'll even help you find another restaurant to eat at." We canceled and will now dine at Gary Danko's in S.F., a much better restaurant. French Laundry is SO not worth what they charge you. For $6,000.00 for dinner for 10 people Keller should kiss the foot of his customers and remember his roots and where he belongs, sweating over a hot stove to earn his keep. There is no longer room in his restaurant for customers along with his ego.
 
My only dining experience at the French Laundry was in 1990 when it was owned by Don & Sally Schmitt before they sold it to Keller. It was quite nice then, perhaps not the gastronomic spectacle it has become, but nice. The attitude was, however beyond compare. They did not take credit cards at the restaurant and when the check came the server said delightfully: "We don't take credit cards, you may pay cash, write a check, or we will send you the bill." I think that like Ramsay and Bourdain, Keller is less concerned with his product in the restaurant than the concept of being a celebrity chef. There is better food being made every day elsewhere in the Bay Area.